Snake Charmer
by Misery Loves Fanfics
Summary: Shido did something to Ban that he greatly regrets, and that has changed Ban dramatically. Shido sifts through his memories, wishing he could take it back, while Ban recalls his nightmares, wishing he could break his forced bond with the Beast Master.
1. Aftermath

**This is my first GetBackers story here, (and also my first beta'ed fic EVER)and I'm totally excited. As a reminder, it's Shido/Ban, so no likey, no lookey. I would love to give major thanks and a big hug to my beta, cuz she rules. Um...I don't own GetBackers...please enjoy wholly.**

We begin from the aftermath, in which everything that had caused _it _to happen had happened. _It_ had come from a simple suggestion; just a few simple words formed with a harmlessly light tone. If one didn't know better, a perfectly harmless man could have made it. Had Shido _really_ known better, he probably would not have gone through with the ordeal—Kuroudo Akabane was _not_ a harmless man.

Now he mused guiltily outside of the Honky Tonk. The bell rang shyly, signaling Ginji's equally timid exit. The former Volts leader stepped cautiously over to his friend. No words passed between them for a few moments—Shido just continued to stare at the ground, while Ginji stared at Shido with the most torn face he had ever seen.

"You need to come inside and talk to him, Shido. Keeping your distance isn't going to do either of you any good."

"Going in there isn't going to do any good, either. He'll just try to kill me, like last time."

The bell rang again; quiet as always, yet the sound seemed less hesitant this time. Ban Midou half-strode through the door, but he had lost some of his usual swagger. His face looked drawn with uncharacteristic hopelessness, and the gaze he set upon the two was dismal. Appearing to draw up some courage, he walked up to them.

"I'm not going to kill you, Shido; I know I can't." He looked sadly at the Beast Master as he said this, before turning to Ginji. "Hey, Ginji, you think I can speak to him alone?"

"You sure, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked, worry largely evident on his face. Ban nodded.

"Go on in, Ginji; I'll be alright."

Ginji went inside after giving them both an uncertain glance. As soon as he was out of sight, Ban fell heavily into Shido's arms, wrapping his arms around the other in a half-hearted embrace.

"Ban?"

"Damn it, I hate you, Shido…I really, really hate you…"

"Ban…" Shido pushed the Jagan master off him. "You've got every right to—"

"Shut up, damn it; don't say a goddamn word, okay?" Ban cut him off. His voice was choked. He wrapped himself in Shido's arms once more. "I don't want you to talk to me. I want to talk to you. And I want you to listen." He leaned on Shido's chest, taking the commanded silence as an agreement. "You're an asshole. I hate you. What the hell gave you the right to do this to me, huh?"

Shido gritted his teeth and tried to keep his mouth shut.

"Damn Beast Master, jackass—I'm no damn monkey, you got that, Monkey Boy? Didn't stop you, did it? You had to get right into my head, didn't you? Do you know what kind of HELL you put me through?" Ban clenched the Beast Master's shirt in his fists. With his powerful grip, Shido had no doubt the shirt would tear. "I hate being near you almost as much as I hate being away from you. And that _kills_ me. Do you have any idea how dependent I am on you, now? Is this how your stupid pets feel?" Shido sighed in relief at this point—Ban's death-grip on his shirt loosened and the smaller man sighed. "I hate you."

'_I know that already, Snake Bastard; do you **have** to repeat it?'_ Shido thought irritably, though he wouldn't dare say it out loud.

"You know something else?" Ban continued, sounding slightly delirious, as though his emotions were about to cause a sudden bout of rambling "I—I've never been so humiliated in my entire life! You know that? I told you—I told you never to call for me when Ginji was around. No, I _begged_ you. But you called for me anyway…was that to humiliate me, I wonder? Because it _did_. And to make matters worse, as soon as Ginji watched me run off to _your_ call, I knew I'd have to explain everything to him. _Everything_, Shido. Every…humiliating…moment…that I _tried_…so hard…to keep from him—I had to tell him, because _you_ called for me. I. Hate. You."

There was complete silence for a moment as Ban clung to Shido, recalling his composure from his near-hysterical venting, and Shido just waited, not saying a word. Finally, Ban pushed away from Shido, albeit reluctantly. He kept his gaze fixated dully on the ground.

"The only reason I came out here was so I could…vent. 'Tell you how much I _wish_ I could kill you without you saying a word about it. 'Wish I could say 'I hate you' and still feel like I did before all this happened. But…" He took an exasperated breath, ran his fingers through his hair, clutched at the strands with that one hand and sighed. "But…now my brain's so muddled I can't be sure if I still feel the same way about you. Even considering all you did to me. It irritates the hell out of me, and I…I'm worn out. I don't have anything left in me." He gave the other boy a weary, but still hard stare. "You want to say something now, go ahead."

"What the hell do you want me to say, Snake Bastard?"

"Whatever the hell you want to say, Monkey Tamer. Go on, enjoy yourself. I can't do anything to you anymore." Ban dropped the hand in his hair down to his side. He said this bitterly, but at the same time almost amusedly, as though he were laughing at himself.

"Damn it, Ban, I feel bad enough; do you have to sound so helpless and make it worse?"

"You should've thought of that a while ago, eh, Monkey Tamer? Or maybe I should call you Snake Charmer from now on?"

"Shut up!"

Ban fell silent, frowning at the Beast Master. They held the tension firm between their stares for the third silence between them that night.

"Alright, then…I'm going back to Mugenjyou." Shido said this with an air of finality and began to walk away.

Ban watched, stunned for a moment as Shido turned from him. After his initial disbelief, he panicked and grabbed Shido by the forearm to prevent him from leaving.

"You can't go!"

"Why the hell not, Snake Bastard? I belong there. Always have, always will." He tried uselessly to shake Ban off his arm. "And why are you stopping me? You told me time and again that you hate me."

"Weren't you listening to me at all, asshole?" Ban hissed. He held onto Shido's arm with almost bruising force and Shido felt bemused by the insistence. Yes, he had heard what Ban had said, and because of this imagined that the other boy would want to get away from the dependency he had so brokenly spoken of.

"Idiot. Let go. I heard what you said." Caught off-guard by the response, Ban loosened his grip, allowing Shido to jerk his arm out of the other's grasp. "That's why I'm leaving."

"You're just going to leave me like this?" Ban asked, the pitch in his voice rising anxiously.

"Go back inside," Shido ordered. Ban stepped back, staring at him wretchedly. "It's obvious that if I stick around, you'll just cling to me. That's not what you want, is it? You want to stop being so dependent on me? Then you go back inside and let me go."

"But…but Shido—" Ban cut himself off as Shido turned once again and walked off down the street.

"Say good-bye to Madoka for me," Shido added over his shoulder.

Ban did not answer. All he could do was watch the Beast Master turn the corner before reluctantly obeying the order he had been given.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The sudden decision to return to Mugenjyou had surprised even Shido. He hadn't made any strong vow not to return, but the thought never actually crossed his mind ever since he'd left. However, even considering his mild bewilderment at his own decision, Shido felt somewhat…relieved to be going back. His mind was at ease.

This being the first amount of peace he'd had in a while, could not last.

"Where could this fine young gentleman be heading at this hour, I wonder?"

The Beast Master froze, a proverbial deer in the headlights, at the chilling familiarity of the voice. A ripple of indignation, followed by one of guilty pain coursed through his body.

"What the hell do you want, Jackal?"

"I've just been admiring your handiwork, my dear Beast Master," the more devious man replied in a humored tone. "It appears the great Ban Midou is not so great as he appears…ne, Shido-kun?"

"Shut up, you heartless bastard!" Shido growled, clenching his fists and glaring a hole into the street. But he refused to turn around. Jackal, still greatly amused, chuckled.

"Did I touch a nerve? I do apologize. I didn't mean to insult your little pet."

"Get the hell away from me. It's your fault that this happened!"

"My fault?" In an instant, Shido found the other man in front of him, smiling as devilishly as ever. The startled Beast Master backed away. "I merely made a suggestion," the Jackal continued, "and you, my dear friend, took that suggestion to heart. So I'm afraid that our dear Ban Midou's current state is your responsibility…am I right, Shido-kun?"

Shido said nothing. He lowered his gaze to the asphalt once more, which in turn made Akabane's grin widen in satisfaction.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Shido-kun. Have a good night." With that as his final word, the ever-eerie Jackal made his way down the street, leaving a considerably shot down Beast Master in his wake. The young Mariudo slumped onto the sidewalk.

'_I should have known better…I should have known…that man can never be trusted…why the hell…did I listen to him?'_

"**You despise him, don't you?"**

'_If I had just…ignored that bastard…'_

"**Oh, I see…he took your beloved leader from you, didn't he? Ginji-kun is his now, and there is nothing you can do about it…am I right?"**

'_Damn it…that arrogant smirk…that gleam in those eyes…I should have known what he was up to!' _Shido clutched at his hair in frustration. _'Why didn't I see it?'_

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

It seemed like an eternity ago, no matter how cliché the statement may sound, that Ban was confident and brash as usual. In reality, it was not so long ago; two or three months at the most. Before, Shido had been able to call him "Snake Bastard" with admirable heat and receive a "Monkey Tamer" from Ban with an equal amount of venom on his tongue. Said fervent venom had since dried up, leaving Ban emotionally defenseless.

At the time, Shido could have told _anyone_ that a broken and docile Ban Midou was exactly what he wanted to see—but he would say so in jest, for at that time, he never thought he would actually _see_ such a demeanor in Ban. The thought just didn't occur to him.

Certain maliciousness had already occupied itself at the Honky Tonk when Shido had arrived that day. It sat at the counter, drinking coffee and smiling pleasantly. Its presence did not make Ban, already sitting in a booth with his arms crossed, very happy at all.

"I am simply here to wait for Miss Hevn," Akabane insisted calmly. "She has a job for me. I intend to do no one any harm today. You should relax, Ginji-kun." He turned to the trembling ex-Raitei with ever so frightening friendliness, which made said Raitei duck further behind the counter next to Natsumi.

Shido simply sighed and took a seat at the bar, a good distance away from the smiling Jackal. He'd had a job of his own that day, retrieving a very expensive wedding ring, which had not gone well. It had taken nearly four hours to retrieve the thing and his client was so _irritating_ that the whole thing had left him feeling _tremendously_ high-strung. In other words, he was in no mood to be hassled by anyone today. He was more than a _little_ likely to fly off the handle.

"No harm my ass," Ban grumbled from his seat. "I'll bet you say that to your victims, too."

"Such accusations could get you in trouble, Ban-kun," the Jackal replied with a playful smirk. Despite his own mistrust of the cheerful madman, Shido found his mood lifting and he chuckled at the nickname. His amusement doubled as "Ban-kun" turned red and started to splutter.

"'B-ban-kun'!" he choked out, absolutely flustered. "And—hey! What the hell are you laughing about, Monkey Tamer!" he added furiously to the still laughing Beast Master.

"I'm laughing at you, Snake Bastard. Or maybe Snake Bastard-_kun_ would be a little more appropriate."

"Shut up, Monkey Boy! How 'bout I go over there and rip your _face_ off, then we'll see who's laughing!"

"Now guys, please don't fight," Ginji pleaded, peering warily over the counter.

"My, my, it's rather lively in here," Akabane mused cheerily, sipping his coffee.

"Well, that's putting it lightly," Paul muttered from behind his paper.

"You couldn't rip my face off, Snake Bastard. You're all talk." Shido rolled his eyes.

Ban cackled in a way that would make him appear threatening if Shido took him seriously at all. The Jagan master flexed the wrist of his powerful right arm, fully determined to prove Shido wrong. "Are you sure about that, Monkey Boy? I'm sure I could rip your whole _head_ off with no problem at all."

"Keep dreaming, Snake Bastard. I'd rip that arm off first."

"You wouldn't really do that, would you Shido?" Ginji asked anxiously. He turned to stare nervously at Ban. "Ban-chan?"

"_Fat_ chance, asshole! There was one point—and I _know_ you remember this—where I could've killed you in a second!"

Shido certainly remembered. He had not been sure of what Ban was capable of that day—he had let his guard down, thinking that the heartless bastard had killed his animals. For that, he had felt a hand to his neck and couldn't move an inch. This reminder of a nearly snapped _neck_ snapped a nerve.

_'That bastard…'_

The now seething Mariudo slammed his palms onto the counter. Ginji seemed torn between staying safe behind the counter and coming up to calm Shido.

"If I had gone Mimicry on you, you would have been _dead_! When it comes to power, that damn _Snake Bite_ is all you've _got_!"

_'How did you ever take Ginji away from us? Why would he **ever** leave with a bastard like you?'_

A slight twitch of the shoulder and an intrigued rise of the head was the only sign of mischief from Akabane at Shido's outburst.

"Are you trying to tell me that you can kick my ass by turning into a _chimp_?"

"I'm telling you that's how I'll _kill_ you!" Shido growled, facing the other man. Ban, seeing the animalistic scowl on Shido's face, quickly put up his defenses.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded. "You're acting more like a prick than usual!"

"Maybe I'm just tired of all your crap," Shido hissed.

At that moment, Ginji popped up between the two. The haze of fury and bloodlust lifted from the room, allowing Shido to see how close he actually gotten to the Snake Bastard, and he realized how truly over the top his frustration had gone. Needless to say, he was stunned at himself and backed off. Ginji looked to each of them worriedly.

"I think…both of you need to calm down," he said softly, eyeing both of them, Shido, especially uncertainly.

Shido nodded in silent agreement, lost in the swimming ferocity inside his head. Quickly he stumbled outside, determined to clear his head. He focused so intently on his dizzying thoughts that he hardly noticed his ghostly visitor.

"Well, that was quite the stirring performance you gave, my dear friend. I could feel the heat rising off you both…"

Shido turned sharply at the practically dancing tone of Akabane's voice. The mysterious man had his lips thinned into a calculating smirk and his eyes were fixated on the still shaken Beast Master with impish glee. Shido said nothing in reply, keeping a wary eye on the Jackal.

"It seems you lost your temper in there—and everyone saw a new side of you, Shido-kun." Akabane's thin smirk widened into a more sickening grin. "I never knew that you had such _fury_ in you…perhaps that passion is reserved only for our dear Jagan master?"

Shido ground his teeth together, feeling his temper rise again. _'Bloody bastard…'_

"You despise him, don't you? That's the cause of your brilliant fury. But why, I wonder? What reason do you have to hate Ban Midou?" The impious one observed Shido's tension with morbid fascination and seemed to come to a conclusion. "Oh, I see…he took your beloved leader from you, didn't he? Ginji-kun is his now, and there is nothing you can do about it…am I right?"

"What do you know?" Shido spat at the man through clenched teeth. This only served to further entertain the Jackal.

"I know you must want your dear Ginji-kun back, don't you? But the only way to do that is to get rid of Ban-kun…and that would make your precious leader sad, wouldn't it?" Akabane chuckled slightly at this. "Would you take a chance, I wonder…would you do anything to keep Ban Midou out of your way?"

Shido's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Akabane merely smiled. "Humans are, technically, animals, are they not? And with that snake god occupying his arm I would say Ban-kun more than qualifies…wouldn't you say so?" He chuckled once more, amused by the baffled expression on Shido's face. "And we mustn't forget…no creature is untamable." The Jackal's eyes gleamed dangerously. "Do think on that, my dear Beast Master." He began walking down the street, obviously having finished with Shido. Shido gaped after him, eyes slowly widening with realization.

"Wait a minute! Are you saying—?"

"Tell Miss Hevn I will have to decline this job for now; she's kept me waiting far too long," Akabane interrupted cleanly, ignoring any continuation of his previous discussion.

Shido simply stood stunned, shaken, and oddly…intrigued.

_'He…does he mean…**tame** the Snake Bastard? Is that even…**possible**?'_

_It_ had slowly begun to materialize.


	2. Past Decisions

_**I deeply apologize for the long wait for this update, but this chapter was an awfully evil little bastard. There weren't very many terribly important plot points in here...just a couple. It's irritating when you have to write something just to keep the story rolling, rather than to actually introduce some very important developments. Hopefully the next one will be better. All standard disclaimers apply, and I would like to give a tremendous thanks to my awesome beta and, of course, my reviewers. Where would I be without you:D Enjoy.**_

_'Could I really be so **stupid**!'_ Shido slammed his fist into the pavement, his anger creating a dent. _'I should have ignored the bastard…I should have…I should have just let myself cool down…if I had just done that…I never…Ban wouldn't be…'_

An image of Ban's face, as it used to be, came into his mind—the scowl, or the cocky smirk were both as compatible to Ban's face as a goofy smile was to Ginji's these days. As much as the aforementioned smirk had irked him in the past, Shido missed it—painfully. In its place was a look that reminded Shido of a long-abandoned kitten: miserable, weak, and helpless.

These aching reminders strengthened Shido's resolve to return to the place he once faintly called home. Though his legs shook with emotion, he stood and continued on his way once more. Ban's wearied face continued to plague his mind with every step.

_'Why should he pay the price for **my** mistake?'_

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Shido-san, is something bothering you?"

Shido had not been paying much attention to his surroundings after Akabane's none-too-innocent suggestion that day. He could not recall a single moment from that point on, except for the repetitive thought, _'Could that really be possible?' _His obvious vagueness of presence had caused Madoka to worry, something Shido did not like. Shido felt the kindness she showed him on a daily basis was wholly undeserved, and he would berate himself endlessly for bothering her like that. Madoka deserved to be happy, not worried over him.

"No, Madoka, I'm alright," he assured her, lying through his teeth.

"Are you sure?" The young prodigy sat beside him in the shade of his usual tree, setting down the basket she'd brought with her. She would come to sit with him often, bringing lunch. Shido always told her not to go through so much trouble for him, but she would always laughingly tell him that she didn't mind—she said that it felt like going on a picnic every day.

"I'm just…thinking." His reply was soft and reluctant. He didn't want to dig too deeply into this.

"You seem very deep in thought, Shido-san. It seems like whatever you're thinking about is bothering you very much." She dug through her basket and offered a rice ball. Despite his lack of appetite, Shido took it.

"I'm puzzled by it…but it's nothing you have to worry about. You shouldn't worry yourself over me, anyway. I'll be fine."

Madoka frowned, but did not press the issue. "Well…alright." They spent the rest of the afternoon in silence.

When Madoka left, Shido had alreadybegun to berate himself. He had made her uncomfortable, and very likely just made her worry even more.

_'You are brilliant, Fuyuki.'_

The fretting sheepdog at his side interrupted his self-bashing. This one had always had a strange motherly attitude towards him, and as always, it was largely in effect. She nuzzled him gently, settling beside him and staring at him with doleful brown eyes, clearly pained by his troubles.

_/Whatever's the matter, Shido-san/_

Shido looked down at her, suddenly feeling much like he was back in Madoka's company. _/Oh, come on now, not you too./_

The dog rested her head on her large paws, still staring at him softly. _/You know I can't help it. I worry about you./_

_/That's the problem. I make Madoka worry, too. I hate doing that…she lets me stay here, and keep all of you here…it's no way to repay her for that kindness./_

_/She probably worries more because you don't tell her anything, Shido-san. Dear Madoka-chan doesn't want to push you, but I'm sure she would like you to tell her what's wrong. It **would** ease her mind some, and likely yours./_

Shido sighed, laying a hand on the dog's head and stroking gently. _/It's not really something I feel comfortable talking about./_

_/Oh, dear. That is a problem. Whatever you're thinking about, it must be awfully stressful./_

_/To be honest, what I'm thinking about doesn't bother me as much as the fact that I'm thinking about it this much. I really shouldn't be taking it to heart…/_

The dog, sensing that this was surely going somewhere, edged closer to him, laying a comforting paw on his knee. _/Go on. Tell me what's going on./_ she urged softly.

_/I was just boiling over today…I know I'm **pissed** at that bastard and I certainly hate his **guts**, but that guy **couldn't** have been suggesting that…I couldn't actually do that…could I/_

_/Now you're not making any sense at all, Shido-san/_ the dog said, almost in exasperation.

Shido looked down at her, frowning. _/Look, I'm sorry…it's just too much to think about and I can't sort out all my thoughts. That's really all that's bothering me./_

This was a lie, of course, and the dog knew that. But she could see that Shido wanted to sort out his thoughts before revealing them to anyone. She didn't see the harm in it, so she decided to let it go.

Shido did not sleep that night.

His thoughts were still considerably muddled in the morning, and he felt by this time that he had gotten crankier since his job yesterday. He had a feeling that contact of any kind, human or animal, would only irritate him further. For his own good, he left Madoka's place just to…take a walk. It always amazed him how the simple act of walking could relax a person so much, and clear their head. Shido soon felt his frustrations leaving him little by little. In fact, everything he had been thinking about slowly dissolved from his mind, as though they had never been there at all. All but one had disappeared when two very distinct voices caught Shido's attention.

"Oi, Ginji! Keep up, will you? We've got to catch the car!"

Shido's eyes found the two frantically trailing their car, which a tow truck was currently dragging away. Ban was running with all his speed and yelling at Ginji, who was lagging behind, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm…trying, Ban-chan, but I'm…tired!" the electric boy insisted.

"Suck it up, Ginji! We can't pay that fee again, so _run_ _faster_!"

Shido clenched his fists and felt a growl rise in his throat. To hear that _bastard_ order Ginji around made Shido's anger return. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the volcanic rage bubbling up inside him and at the same time wondering why he was doing so.

Stealthily, the remnants of Shido's maddening thoughts crept to the surface of his mind. They mirrored yesterday's frustration; the frustration Akabane had looked upon as an opportunity. The Jackal's sly voice slid into his thoughts, taking advantage of this opportunity once more.

"**We mustn't forget…no creature is untamable."**

_'Even him? Even **Ban Midou** is…tamable?'_

"Ginji! Damn it, hurry up!"

"Ban-chan, I'm trying! Stop running so fast!"

His clenched fists curled tighter. Shido's fingernails dug into his skin.

**"No creature is untamable."**

_'Not even Ban Midou.'_

Ban stopped as the tow truck pulled into the drive of the Traffic Department. "Aw, man! Now we have to pay the fee again!"

He suddenly froze. He felt a pair of eyes on him. A nasty chill ran down his spine.

_'You're **mine**, Snake Bastard.'_

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Shido resisted the very powerful urge to vomit. The words that had burrowed like a feral mole in his mind hit him like a wave. All sorts of extreme self-loathing manifested, cursing him for allowing those words to affect him as they had. His back stiffened and he nearly keeled over. Emotion swirled in his stomach until he could take it no more—he dashed straight to the nearest dumpster and lost his lunch. People around him stared, but did not stop.

He stood there, leaning against the dumpster and breathing hard. His heart pounded against his ribcage and he sank to his knees, emotionally exhausted almost to the point of breaking down.

'_Why, damn it? Why didn't I just keep my temper? I hated him…so damn much…**shit**!'_ The dumpster made a hollow _'boom!'_ as Shido's fist connected with it.

He stayed there for a long while. When he finally stood, he staggered, much more uneasy and awkward than he had been before. His stomach still churned and he had to suppress his nausea if he wanted to continue.

'_Ban, you'd better be holding up better than I am.'_

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ban wasn't aware of anything around him when he reentered the Honky Tonk. The bell rang for the third time that day, but Ban didn't even notice how gloomily it rung this time.

Ginji had rushed to his side without hesitation and guided him to a seat at the bar. He was frantically saying _something_…but all Ban could think about was Shido and his increasingly burning need to be near him again. But Shido had told him to let him go…and he had to listen.

"Damn it!"

Ginji stepped back and Natsumi let out a startled cry. Paul rushed in from the back, asking just what the hell was going on.

"He told me to let him go, and I did! I'm such a _coward_! Why did I let him go?"

"Just what are you talking about?" Paul asked, both puzzled and extremely irritated that he had gotten vague ramblings instead of the explanation he had asked for.

"Ban-chan, you're not making any sense," Ginji added, more softly, trying to coax some real information out of Ban.

Ban's words were incoherent for several minutes, as though he was trying to confess his every anxiety without worrying about sorting them out. He continued to babble while Ginji tried his best to make some sense out of the words. When Ban started to tremble, it was as though the things he was babbling about were finally sinking in. Shido had _left_.

"He said…he was going back to Mugenjyou. Said he belonged there…said if I…" he choked on his words, "if I wanted to…stop being dependent on him I should let him go…and I did…I watched him walk away from me and I didn't stop him…I just did what he said! That _bastard_…"

"Ban-chan…" Ginji was the only one who spoke. Paul and Natsumi just stared at him in stunned, piteous silence. Ginji placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let me take you home. You should sleep and get your mind off Shido."

Ginji inwardly cringed at his own words, but he didn't know what else to do. He simply couldn't bring himself to blame Shido for everything. Shido was still his friend, despite what he had done to Ban, though Ginji had been hurt and disappointed by it. Besides, Ginji didn't want to risk hurting Ban, and openly condemning Shido would do just that. After all, Ban's fervent attachment to the Beast Master was as fierce as it was fragile.

"That's a good idea, Gin-chan," Natsumi agreed softly. For this, Ginji was grateful. "Please, Ban-san, go home and get some rest."

"'Don't want to sleep. I want to go after him," Ban protested, albeit dispassionately. Regardless of his words, he made no move to actually get up and do so. "I want to go after him," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself to move. But he still did not move. Ginji sighed.

"Ban-chan…even if you did go after him, I don't think he'dchange his mind about leaving. Once Shido's made up his mind, there's usually no changing it. That's just the way he is…" Ginji trailed off sadly. Ban stared down at the counter, an equal sadness creeping into his eyes.

"Ban, please listen to Ginji and go home," Paul said. "You're exhausted, and in no condition to be out looking for anyone anyway. Get some sleep now, and maybe you'll be able to clear your head in the morning."

Ban sighed and stood. "Alright, Ginji. I'll go home."

Ginji let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, Ban-chan. Let's go." He turned to Paul and Natsumi. "Thanks Paul, and Natsumi-chan."

Ban was already starting to nod off at the thought of 'home'. He and Ginji had managed to rent out an apartment a few months back, with the help of Hevn and Paul. The place had only one bathroom, and no phone, but they still called it home. That word was a soothing warmth to Ban's weary mind. Not long after he and Ginji got into the car, he was asleep.

Ginji glanced at him briefly, smiling fondly at his friend's sleeping form. He sighed sadly, leaning back against the driver's seat.

'_Oh, Ban-chan…I wish you were your old self again.' _He glanced at him again. _'Well…at least in sleep you're not hurting so much. Sleep well, Ban-chan.'_

For now, Ban slept peacefully. Come morning he would be in pain again.

As for Shido, not even sleep was a refuge from his guilt-ridden memories.


	3. Guilty Woman

**_In all honesty, I was going to update once I had chapter four done as well, so I could give my readers two updates after such a long time instead of only one. But how many people have decided to give up, thinking that I have too, anyway? Why waste time waiting for something that just won't come to me? I am so pathetic sometimes. Anyway, I do not own GetBackers; and without further ado to anyone that remains, enjoy Snake Charmer chapter three._**

Shido found himself trapped in a nightmare filled with screams. Not his screams**—**but Ban's.

_"Get them off me…I'm begging you, get them off me! Shido, __**please**__! Please __**get them off me**__!"_

"I said, wake up!"

Shido quickly awoke thanks to a slap in the face. He still felt disoriented and confused from his nightmare, and the violent wake up call had not helped any. As he sat there half-asleep, he received another slap in the face.

"Get a _hold_ of yourself! You've been thrashing around for fifteen minutes already."

Shido looked up to the source of the voice and gathered his wits again, shaking his head and rubbing his sore cheek. He was surprised to see the infamous Lady Poison hovering over him, distaste fitted to her expression. More surprising yet that he was not at the street corner he had fallen asleep at last night. Instead, he rested on a futon in the middle of an old, however seemingly well-kept warehouse. Not far from the futon was a long table decorated with various bottles and vials. There were crates piled all over, reaching almost to the ceiling. Three lay overturned in some far corner of the place, two acting as chairs and one in the middle supporting an evidently untouched tea set.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Shido asked finally, regarding the tea set with dulled curiosity.

"Shut up." Himiko followed his gaze to the tea set a moment before turning on her heel towards the long table. "You were lying out on the street like some hobo. I wasn't about to leave you out there." She spoke tensely and fiddled with all the bottles on the table. Shido looked at her incredulously.

"You're saying you forgive me, then?"

Himiko threw him a glare. "No, I don't. But you don't deserve all the blame…I'll concede to my part."

"I'd have hurt him without your help."

"Look, I lashed out at him in my own way, understand?" Himiko shot back. "I wanted to hurt him too...I just let you do the dirty work. I played a part."

_'Fine; you're allowed to hate yourself. It's not my problem…'_ Shido thought with a self-righteous look that trailed from Himiko to the tea set. He didn't plan on continuing the conversation, knowing he would fail if he tried. Himiko's stubbornness wouldn't allow him to press further. So he changed the subject.

"Kazuki was here. So you saw him again?"

Himiko's eyes snapped from her bottles to Shido in a mixture of incredulity and fury. Her expression weakened as her eyes then moved back to the tea set, finally settling once more on the bottles with a pained glimmer.

"No. He…he hasn't come back since the battle." She picked up one bottle, filled halfway with some clear liquid and swirled it around for a moment. "I should release those snakes…my new perfume isn't exactly developing the way I wanted. And it costs extra to keep them in here."

"Are you expecting him sometime soon?" Shido asked. Himiko stiffened and decided not to answer. Once again, she was being frustratingly distant and turning the subject to the direction of her liking. This was the very reason why he had cut his first visit with her as short as possible.

Unfortunately, it wasn't short enough.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Ban and Ginji managed to pay the towing fee, through a few hours of hard labor running errands for Natsumi. Ginji couldn't understand why, but Ban was still upset about something even after they'd paid off the fee. It wasn't that he was griping and muttering; that sort of thing would have been perfectly normal after all those errands, and Ginji could have likely handled it without much trouble. But the gloomy silence hanging around Ban was intimidating enough to negate all of Ginji's efforts to cheer him up. He couldn't even get Ban to talk, so after a while he stopped trying.

But he couldn't stop thinking about it. He watched Ban drowning all his concerns in cigarette smoke and soon became fixated on the tinge of paleness that had washed over Ban's features. It was as if he was dwelling on something very frightening…although Ginji didn't know of anything that would _really_ frighten Ban. Nothing he knew of could make Ban fall into such a silence…

He decided to try talking to him again. Just one more try couldn't hurt.

"Um…Ban-chan?" This time, Ban seemed to wake up, and he looked at Ginji. The paleness disappeared from his face in flash and his characteristic nonchalance returned, overshadowing any worries he may have had before. It was almost as if he'd never been so out of it in the first place.

"What?"

Ginji smiled, not bothering to wonder how Ban returned to normal so quickly. "You looked like you were lost in thought for a while, there," he said. "I'd just wondered if something was bothering you."

Ban inwardly cringed for a moment. Worrying Ginji often led to a lot of heart-wrenching questioning, which Ban hated. He gave Ginji the most reassuring smile he could and said, "Not to worry, Ginji. I was just a little lost in thought. Nothing serious." _'Now, to get Ginji off the topic for good_,_'_ thought Ban. _'Food always __does__ the trick.'_ "Hey, how 'bout we get something to eat? I'm starved."

True to Ban's expectations, Ginji let the matter go completely and jumped up and down, excited about the prospect of food.

After that, Ban's thoughts ventured only vaguely into that strange evil chill he'd felt earlier. Food seemed to wipe it from his mind, too. Stomachs full, the two decided to head home, all concerns set aside for now.

Unnoticed at a distance, Himiko carefully watched the comfortable smile on Ban's face with disapproval. She saw how it never faded. Once again she found herself thinking of the happy days when her brother was still alive. Such memories plagued her every time she saw Ban.

She'd come down to Shinjuku, abandoning all transport work in order to develop a new perfume. She hadn't hoped to see Ban, though she figured it inevitable. He lived in Shinjuku, after all.

But when those memories cropped up, Ban's presence was infuriating.

"Ban Midou…I swear I will kill you one day…"

"It's nice to see such a fire in you, Ms. Himiko." Himiko turned around sharply and came face to face with another man that she had not hoped to see. The murderous doctor smiled at her in his usual chilling way. What Himiko hated the most about that smile was the fact that he seemed to be silently telling her that he knew something she didn't.

"What do you want, Jackal?" Himiko stayed at a distance from him, eyeing him cautiously. To her annoyance, he seemed to notice the look in her eyes, because that secretive smile grew.

"Nothing for you to be so angry about, my dear," he replied smoothly. "I'll be on my way soon. I had simply stopped to admire that passionate fury in your eyes. It seems your hatred for our dear Ban Midou still stands strong."

Himiko scoffed at his remark, a disdainful smirk crossing her lips. "Aren't you a flatterer? Well, my 'passionate fury' isn't any business of yours. If you don't want anything of me, then just get away from me."

"Why, my dear Ms. Himiko, you've offended me," Akabane said to her, chuckling and far from offended. "Very well—if I am to need a purpose to be in your presence, then I give you this: an outlet for your anger, if you would like it."

The moment he finished his sentence, Himiko was ready with a scathing retort, regardless of what he'd just said. Then it sunk into her brain _exactly_ what he'd just said. She instantly became curious.

"What do you mean…?"

Knowing she was hooked, the Jackal did not bother to hide his look of triumph as he took a few steps closer to her. "If you care to look, you may just find a way to…weaken him. For one who hates Ban Midou as much as you, the thought of his suffering is almost too sweet…right?"

Himiko was dropping her guard more with every second, and at this point she hardly noticed. "I…don't know what you're talking about…how could _I_ make him suffer?"

"As I said, you'll have to look," Akabane replied with a final grin. He turned, done with the conversation now that Himiko was fully intrigued. He walked away, calling a last suggestion over his shoulder, "And do remember, Ms. Himiko, there is a very simple method to use when taming a snake."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Himiko hissed loudly, ironically earning several responding hisses from the snakes around her. Shido, as lost in his memories as she was in hers, acknowledged the sudden sound only briefly.

She'd dropped a vial, and it had broken all over her table. She'd cut her finger. Thinking of the memories in the past seemed to make her even angrier in the present, costing her some of her usual alertness.

Exasperated, she roughly pushed the rest of the vials aside and spun around, heading for the door.

"Watch the place for me, will you?" she said to Shido, quickly and harshly.

Annoyed by her mood, Shido gave her a narrow-eyed look and grunted, "What for?"

"I need to go for a walk."

If Shido had an argument, she didn't hear it. She stormed outside, plodding along furiously until she felt like stopping. The cold morning air seeped into her body, little by little, and she found herself slumping down into the same street corner she'd found Shido lying at.

_'God…what's the matter with me?'_ Himiko clutched uselessly at her temples, trying to get rid of both her guilt and the oncoming migraine. _'How could I have been so drawn in? I just complicated everything! I'm such a fool…'_

"Ah, Ms. Himiko…such a state you are in. It seems you are enjoying the consequences of your mistake as well…is the guilt not quite a treat?"

Himiko's head jerked upwards. Just three feet in front of her was the cause of all her misery. She stood up, her hands curling furiously into fists. The Jackal did not even step back; his smile only grew.

"_You_! This is _your_ fault!"

The devious man chuckled. "Why, Ms. Himiko, how am I to blame for your own faults? I was not the one that made your dear Kazuki leave you, now was I?"

He continued his devilish chuckling as the pain flashed across Himiko's face. She made a feeble attempt at gathering up her fury, but the heat was lost from her voice as she said, "You should have stayed away from me."

"I made a very harmless suggestion, Ms. Himiko," Akabane replied. "But it seems that you and Shido-kun are far too easily influenced."

Himiko was taken aback. She glanced briefly towards the warehouse. _'Shido? He got to you, too?'_ She glanced back once more, but Akabane had disappeared.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Akabane's casual suggestion hadn't quite sunk in yet, and Himiko was still hopelessly wrapped up in its meaning. She examined each word so meticulously as she walked that she did not focus on where she was walking.

She collided with a tall, very masculine figure not long after she crossed the street. She somehow held onto all of her fragile supplies—the numerous jars and vials she would use in developing her new perfume. Her own balance, however, could not be caught in time, and she and the stranger fell backwards, cursing up a storm.

It was a comical sight to anyone that happened to pass by.

Once they were both done swearing and rubbing all the appropriate sore spots, each decided to get a look at just who they had crashed into. The reaction was instantaneous.

"Hey, it's you!"

Himiko searched for a name while Shido just stared at her. "You're that…that Beast Man…guy…or something, right?"

"It's Shido," Shido grunted. "And it's Beast _Master._What're you doing here? You don't live here…"

"For the time being, I do," Himiko replied defensively, holding up her bag of supplies as indication. "Experimenting." She lowered the bag. "And I could ask you the same question. You don't really live around this area, either."

Shido smirked. "Hey, I'm the Beast Master. You could say I'm out hunting."

Himiko was puzzled. She wasn't sure if he was serious or not. "Hunting? For what?"

Shido shoved his hands in his pockets, and as Himiko continued to watch him, noticing his smirk take on a more sinister look. Though she had never really gotten familiar with Shido at all, something told her this was not exactly in his nature.

His answer sent a shiver down her spine. It was just as cold as his smirk. "Snakes."

Her eyes widened. She looked quickly behind her, though she knew that Ban had long been out of sight.

Several things clicked together in her mind during the seconds she turned her head to face Shido again. She remembered that Shido seemed to have a grudge against Ban, not unlike herself. As she remembered in some small detail what Shido was capable of, everything that Akabane had told her seemed to come together. Her body gave a jolt and she drew in a breath once it all hit her completely. Then she produced a smirk that matched Shido's.

"You…hate Ban as much as I do…don't you?" she asked him. Shido's smirk faded into curiosity for a moment.

"Yeah…so, what are you saying?"

Himiko scoffed at him, as though the answer was obvious. "I'm saying I want to help you make him suffer." She frowned and stepped closer as she added, "I won't take 'no' for an answer, here."

Shido accepted.

Ban, a great distance away from all this, shuddered.

There was that chill again…

**_P.S.: An apology to those who said would beta for me, on anything. I've forgotten who you are due to my ridiculous waiting. I won't cause you any more trouble. From now on I'm just going to go back and edit things myself, for the sake of everyone's sanity._**


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